Fluoridation: It makes a huge difference in lives of low income children

By John M. Pisacane

Special to the Mercury News

Posted:
03/26/2014 10:00:00 AM PDT

Updated:
03/26/2014 03:08:03 PM PDT

I am a neighborhood dentist in San Jose and just celebrated my practice's 25th anniversary. In addition, I am a past president of the Santa Clara County Dental Society, a group of more than 1,500 dentists dedicated to promoting the oral health of the public and the practice environment of our members.

I testified at the Santa Clara Valley Water District's hearings about community water fluoridation, and I am a strong supporter of this critically important public health measure.

I know that we should be very careful before adding substances to our water supply. But community water fluoridation has been in practice for more than 65 years and has proved to be safe and effective.

The Centers for Disease Control lists fluoridation as one of the 10 great public health achievements of the 20th century. When water is optimally fluoridated, cavities on smooth surfaces are reduced by as much as 60 percent in developing teeth.

Unfortunately, tooth decay is one of the most common untreated diseases in lower-income American children, including those living in San Jose. When fluoridation is finally instituted here, San Jose's children will enjoy far fewer cavities. San Jose is the largest U.S. city that does not have fluoridated water for all of its residents. Only families supplied by the city's small municipal water system have fluoridated water. Most are supplied by the private San Jose Water Co.

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Fluoride toothpaste can help prevent tooth decay, and fluoride treatments at the dentist offer more protection because dentists' fluoride is stronger. Still, topically applied fluoride rinses off children's teeth quickly and does not permanently strengthen developing teeth.

Hundreds of studies, carefully reviewed scientifically, validate that fluoride is safe. The recommended levels have been adjusted over the years to optimize the oral benefits, and no significant health issues have been linked to it.

I personally favor less rather than more government intrusion into our lives. Yet in this case, when the benefits to the most vulnerable among us are so great, government has a role to play.

We all accept chlorine being added to our water to prevent disease, and the disease of tooth decay is epidemic among millions of California's children. Unfortunately, many of these children do not receive treatment and instead experience pain and lose teeth needlessly.

Children in pain due to untreated tooth decay can't concentrate in school, and this can have lifelong effects. Adults with untreated dental disease often unable are to get good jobs because they are in constant pain, have missing teeth and have unattractive smiles.

I have seen the effects of the lack of fluoridated water at community clinics run by the California Dental Association, like the one we held in San Jose last May. The sheer volume of untreated dental disease is staggering. Providing fluoride in San Jose will alleviate the suffering of tens of thousands of children here.

All American dental organizations, including the American Dental Association, the California Dental Association and all local dental societies, as well as many other local health organizations fully support fluoridation, and so do I.

John M. Pisacane, D.M.D., owns Willow Glen Dentistry in San Jose. He wrote this for this newspaper.